In emergencies and during natural disasters and the like, power from the grid is frequently interrupted as is phone service. Additionally, personnel such as police and firemen who respond to emergencies and police incidents frequently are in need of both reliable portable lighting as well as a beacon to warn motorists or others approaching the location.
An additional need for first responders is for personal safety. Entering a possible crime location, fire or other incident, first responders such as firemen and police are in need of the ability to provide their position to others who might follow their arrival at an incident site. Firemen, police, security personnel and other first responders can become lost or trapped or injured at the very location to which they have been dispatched to help. Such first responders as police and security personnel in addition, can become victims of criminal behavior or even hostages.
It is therefor advantageous that such first responders and even common citizens have an emergency device that provides light as needed. A further need is the ability to provide a tracking signal or beacon to third parties regarding the location of the person carrying the device which is passive or may be initiated by the user manually. Still further, for such first responders, it is advantageous if the device can not only broadcast a locating signal, but also optionally a message that may be discerned by other first responders.
In cases where first responders are security related it is especially advantageous if the broadcast component of the device is able to do so surreptitiously. This hidden communication ability will provide first responders in trouble, due to criminal activity, the ability to send a hidden message to subsequent responders of not only their location, but optionally elements of their current situation.
Further, in the circumstances where an individual was to have a physical health problem such as a heart attack, to pass out, or be a victim of a gunshot or other injury, or is otherwise incapacitated, some means for automatic signaling to subsequent responders to broadcast the condition of the individual or their specific location would be most helpful.
As such, there is an unmet need for a multi-functional emergency device that provides the user with a plurality of functions during an emergency situation. Such a device should provide a means for illumination of the surroundings of the user. Such a device should be adapted to alert third parties to the presence of the user in situations such as on a dark roadway. Such a device should be able to passively monitor the user's location, and provide a beacon should subsequent first responders be required to aid the user. Finally, such a device should provide for communication from the user to subsequent first responders in a fashion that is not easily detected by others proximate to the user. This communication should be either be preprogrammed, or optionally initiated and customized by the user in real time to allow the user to send customized messages as to their current predicament if needed and do so without being discovered.